DC USA

Beer, Burgers, Tube Socks and a Mariachi Band at the Target Opening Party

By Prince Of Petworth

I’m not going to lie. I am no stranger to drinking beers and listening to a Mariachi band. I think it is one of life’s great pleasures. I just never thought I’d be drinking beers and listening to a Mariachi band in a Target…on a Tuesday night. And it was a truly beautiful thing. So thanks to a reader for hooking me up with their ticket to the Target festivities in Columbia Heights. I am forever in your debt. There was a huge turnout and I was happy to see a nice mix of regular neighborhood residents as well as folks who I imagine are part of DC’s “elite”. Let me say Target went all out. You couldn’t turn a corner without running into a band, a bar, food or a Target employee asking if they could help you find something. Obviously the first thing I asked help in finding was tube socks. Ok, first I had a couple of beers. Ok, then I had a burger and sweet potato fries. Ok, then I listened to the Mariachi band and some bongo drummers and then the Mariachi band again. But then I was whisked straight to the tube socks. The tube socks were a little anti climactic, I’ll admit, because I couldn’t find any with sweet racing stripes. But did I mention that there was a Mariachi band? Too cool. As for the Target it is gigantic. It actually has two floors and stocks just about anything you could possibly imagine. (Ed. note: This was actually my first time inside a Target.) As you may have imagined after the jump check out tons of cool pictures of the party and the store. (more…)

Washington Business Journal Says “DC USA makes last-ditch pitch to high-end retailers”

By Prince Of Petworth

Thanks to Marco for sending me this article a few days ago. I was a bit slow on the trigger and DCist posted about it earlier today. The article says “When the 540,000-square-foot DC USA retail complex opens March 8 in Columbia Heights, it will still have nearly 80,000 square feet of retail to fill — including 25,000 square feet that developers want to reserve for higher-end retailers. Banana Republic and Coach have been mentioned as examples, although no deals are in the works.”

Interesting. What do you guys think about this? Would you like to see some high end retail go into DC USA in Columbia Heights?

REI Coming to DCUSA in Columbia Heights?

By Prince Of Petworth

Holy canoli! I think this would be phenomenal. Of course I love hiking but still an REI would be fantastic, no? A reader writes:

“I recently came across news on the Columbia Heights News website that REI is considering a location at the new DCUSA in Columbia Heights. This would be a great addition as the outdoor coop is a solid company known for, besides quality outdoor gear, being an all around good and ethical company – the kind of retail neighbor that would be awesome for the neighborhood.

It would be helpful for those interested to be in touch with all the usual suspects when dealing with DCUA (Jim Graham and GridProperties – [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]), but particularly with REI.

In response to my email to Grip Properties in support of the REI, I was told the following:

Thanks for your e-mail. It would be most helpful if you and your friends and colleagues would contact REI directly. They are new to urban markets and need to hear directly from their potential customers.

After a few email exchanges with REI, I was informed that the best way to get in touch with them was through this link: http://www.rei.com/shared/help/feedback/servicefb.html – Surprisingly, they said they will forward any emails regarding the project to administrative offices associated with such things.

I think this would be a huge development for the community. The Columbia Heights News website mentioned they were in direct competition with Ross Dress For Less (you know, the store very similar to the Marshals already moving into DCUSA) – so either way its probably a good thing if community members made their preferences known.”

Can You Taste The Target?

By Prince Of Petworth

New sign went up that looks pretty good. I think I’m most excited about getting dozens of tube socks. What are you guys most looking forward to purchasing from Target?

One Nice Architectural Detail to the New DC USA Mall Coming to Columbia Heights

By Prince Of Petworth

As has been noted before, most of the new DC USA complex looks a little bit like it could be a cross between an insane asylum and a toilet paper factory from the Soviet Union circa 1976. But anyway, as I was walking down Irving St., (Dang I can’t remember the street but I think it was Irving) I noticed that there is one small facade that they have managed to preserve. So I think when the mall finally opens in March I will always enter through this entrance. Check out the contrast to the rest of the complex after the jump.  It doesn’t really seem to mesh that nicely.   What do you guys think, was it worth  it to preserve this one facade even if it clashes with the rest of the building? (more…)